The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-02-16

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"Where's my trunk to gol" continues she,
having hardly glanced at Ada and me.
| libby, the rcmiss, has now appeared on the
scene. Upon our guest deigns TO bestow n
prolonged stare.
jack | call, ''come and help upstairs with
the trunk" the while regarding with some
CONSERVATION the unwieldy article before me,
and thinking with some dlsmay how 1t will
I'll up our tiny spare room.
"Out OF the way, please says our Cousin,
putting me rather summarily on one side.
"You lend a hand hercn addressing libby,
who is standing looking ~n open-mouthed
from the background.
Before anyone can demonstrate, the trunk
is half way up the staircase and all can do
is to follow.
AS predicted, after it has found resting
place there is not much surplus room In
Cousin Mary's apartment
libby retlres after depositing It, and | enter
half hcsitating.
"Not much room 10 turn here,n remarks
our guest, coolly surveying our much-thought'
of spare room.
"At least, you have 1t TO YOURSELF | say,
coldly. "You could have had part Of larger
room, but we fancied you would prefer this to
such an arrangement / am inwardly thank
| full there is no question Of my sharing a room
with my companion. She had got rid Of her
ulster and hat, and Is brushing her hair before
the mirror. She then turns and looks at me
sharply, as | speak, then resumes her occupa-
tion in silence. Her appearance is far from
progressing Tall and large boned, she i'm
al, "a,
has n mass of thick, brown hair, which she
wears in a fringe cut low on her forehead, and
falling down behind in large chignon quite
out of date. Her complexion is brilliant; she
has thick lips and rather heavy jaw, and
large dimple on her chin. In short, she might
have been comey but that perhaps from
rough mode Of life, she had become coarsened
She has large red hands, too, and wears q
quantity of tasty cheap looking jewelry.
Before have finished my mental summing
up process, my companion breaks In on Inc.
Gam to 90 down stairs nowi' she inquiries,
with q strong American accent, which rather
surprises me, although | h've heard that
Cousin Mary spent part of her childhood In
America.
~ beg your PARDON | respond. Eyes,
wen 10 uOVn 10 TEA II YOU are
"This is coseY, and no mistake" eYclaims
my companion when we reach the parlor with
its dainty tea table and bright lights.
80 we all tea together" she goes on taking
no notice of Jack, who regards her as a sort
of phenomenon from the background
"Tm tree to confess you're not so stuck up
as English folk in America (The last word
she pronounces "Amerky.")
No one responds to her remark. privately
wonder II she expected to take tea in the
kitchen and at the same time decide that the
surroundings there would be more in keeping
than her present ones.
Won't you sit near the flre'n says mother,
who, can see, Is making an effort TO be hos
pltable You must be cold after your jour
ney."
Mary plants herself down with her back to
TO the fire, and scans the tea table with a look
Of supreme satisfaction.
Then we are silent. First there are so few
subjects we may breach. We must not speak
Of Uncle Edgar, our Cousins father, in case
of awakening too painful memories, as he is
but lately dead. Weknow nothing about her
She knows nothing of us. We have absolute
ly nothing In common
'Have you been long in Amerlca" asks
mother, presently; ehis evidently presenting
safe opening.
Long" laughs our guest, "Bless you, I've
lived there half my days"
A slight flush passes over mothers face, bu.
she makes another brave effort "Indeedl
| did not know you had been there so long
You must find England great change"
THAT do, and it's with no will Of my own
ever set foot on It. I've been shamefully
cheated" and Cousin Mary purses up her lips,
and her face already flushed with the warm
room becomes scarlet with indignation against
some unknown one who has decoyed her from
the New England World under false pretexts.
We feel that indirectly she has cast a slight
on us by her last remark, unexplained as 1t
is; so we keep silence In the meantime she
fills her saucer with half the contents Of her
cup, and drinks them off, poislng the saucer
dexterously between her thumb and fingers.
Jack here gives vent to a suppressed litter
and kicks me under the table, but am In no
mrthful mood. II is all too serious
$50 you keep two servants" burts out our
guest, abruptly breaking the silence.
The question takes us by surprise. / see
Ada's expression OF face meant TO warn our
visitor she Is going two far. Jack nudgcs me
and taps his forehead significantly, with
covert glance at Cousin Mary.
'No," say; wha. makes you think sol We
have only one"
ooh, thought you meant 70 keep two
now" she remarked composedly, proceeding
with her tea.
Everybody relieved when the meal comes
to an end At its close our guest has become
tired of scrutinizinr her surroundings and